Draw Near to Listen

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.

Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools,

who do not know that they do wrong.

Do not be quick with your mouth,

do not be hasty in your heart

to utter anything before God.

God is in heaven

and you are on earth,

so let your words be few."

Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

"What are your prayers as you walk through your neighborhood?"  The question came during a Bible study where the leader wanted to know my petitions to God for the community in which we lived and served.  It struck me at that moment that the talking is not the important part of prayer.  In hindsight, maybe he was asking the wrong question.  Perhaps there's more to communing with God than the words I say.

Be still.  I've been having a conversations lately with other believers about what it means to be still before God (Psalm 37:7).  It's easy to get the idea that it means sitting idly in a quiet spot, almost like the picture of meditation that comes out of eastern religions.  Most I talk to balk at the idea, saying "Whose got time to sit around when there's so much to be done!  I've got too much energy to just be still."

It seems this "resting in the Lord" is more about the state of my heart than the position of my body.  In fact, the Hebrew for "rest" literally means "to be silent, still, grow dumb."  So when I come before the Lord in prayer, it is with a spirit of anticipation, expecting to hear more than to speak.  Most of the time I focus on bringing my petitions before the Lord, letting Him know my needs, pouring out my hurts.  While these are all good things, I must also be prepared to listen, to still my mind and incline my heart toward Him so that I am willing to hear all He may say.  It's also vital that I keep open to God, sensitive to my Shepherd's voice so that I can respond in obedience.  If I spend so much time talking, I'll never give Him a chance to speak to me.

When I draw near to God it is important that I still my mind and heart so that I can listen to what He has to say.

Near.  It's easy to get the idea that I'm not worthy to talk to God. My heart broke to hear this sentiment from an elderly man whom I was encouraging in his relationship with God.  As I urged him to bring his requests before the Lord, he responded by saying, "It might be okay for you to talk to God, but I'm just not the kind of person He will listen to."  Despite my assurances of God's love for him and His eagerness to enter into such intimacy with him, the gentleman could believe such a thing about himself.

In Christ all can boldly come before God's throne of grace without shame or insecurity, as a well-loved child.  Jesus makes it possible for the worst of sinners to be reconciled to God through His blood, making it perfectly permissible to come before God with the confidence of one who belongs (2 Corinthians 5:18).  It is by His righteousness that I come, not by my own (Romans 3:22).  It is through His invitation that I come, not through my own presumptuousness (Hebrews 4:14-16).  It is due to His work on the cross, not due to my own offerings and best efforts that appear as filthy rags before such a holy God (Ephesians 2:8, Isaiah 64:6).

I can draw near to God with the confidence of one who is loved and welcomed into His presence.

Receive.  There is the tendency to want to pay back God for all He has done for me.  Is there anything God needs from me?  Is He touched by my offerings?  Is He lacking in any way, dependent upon me to give Him what He needs (Isaiah 1:10-15)?  

The answer is a resounding "No."  He is self-sufficient, the great "I Am" who has no limitations, never grows weary, cannot fail (Exodus 3:14, Isaiah 40:28).  He owns the earth and all that is in it and there is nothing I can give Him that is not already His (Psalm 24:1).  What He desires from me instead is my heart (1 Samuel 15:22, 16:7).  He wants me to want Him more than all the world has to offer.  He wants me to see Him as my all in all.  He wants me to depend on Him for every good thing, for all my strength, for each need (2 Corinthians 9:8, 2 Corinthians 12:9,Matthew 6:31-32).  Therefore, when I come to Him it must be with a humble anticipation of all that He will give to me.  Without His gracious gifts bestowed upon me, I'd have nothing to give to others (James 1:17).

Instead of expecting to give to God, I must draw near to Him with the spirit of anticipation, ready to receive all He has to give.

I sometimes get the idea that I'm meant to go to God so that I can give.  In reality, it's more about what He gives to me.  Therefore, I must be still, ready to listen to what He has to say, realizing I belong in His presence through faith in Christ, and with open hands to receive all He has to give.  In these ways, I'll be drawing near to listen more than to speak.  This is prayer at its essence.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can be quiet and listen to God's voice.

When do I wrongly think I can pay back God for all He has done for me?

How do you avoid God out of a feeling of inadequacy, forgetting that it is by grace that you have been ushered into His kingdom?    

Hopeless? Maybe Not . . .

"Moses answered the people,

'Do not be afraid.

Stand firm and you will see

the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.

The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.

The LORD will fight for you;

you need only to be still.'"

Exodus 14:13-14

Today we are going to revisit that all too familiar place for us as humans; being stuck between a rock and a hard place.  Yesterday we learned about the instructions God gives to us as we face the impossible.  Today  we will turn our attention to what God will do in these situations as we trust Him:

The Angus steer started bucking and thrashing around the small pen, pinning my dad against the wooden rails.  Scrambling to get out of the way, he quickly climbed over the sides of the outdoor enclosure, muttering, "I'm calling Clarence."

As a child, I was involved in Beef 4-H.  I usually trained and showed a breed of cattle called Charolais which are all white and known for their muscularity.  Peer envy kicked in after awhile, however, and I had developed a desire to show the sleek black Angus breed that my friend preferred. So, my dad gave in and bought an Angus steer.  It was a short-lived relationship.  

Clarence was the guy who picked up cattle and hauled them wherever you wanted them to go; the butcher, the farm of a new owner or to the fair for showing.  After the close call my dad experienced with that new Angus, I was more than willing to go along with his assessment of this animal being too wild for my use.

That steer must have felt like he was stuck in a place he did not want to be when Clarence first dropped him off at our house.  His solution was to try to bust his way out to freedom, hoping that if he could break down the pen then he would be liberated from his current situation.

I am not so different from this obstinate bovine.  When I'm in a place where I don't feel comfortable, or I feel threatened or afraid, I am tempted to bust my way out, to force a change or to make something happen to alter the circumstances.  Instead of taking things into my own hands, I might try handing it over to the Lord and trusting Him.  When I do, I will find certain things happening. 

Enemies will Disappear

The threat of the Egyptian Army overwhelmed the newly freed Israelites.  As their enemy approached, imposing and powerful, the angel of the Lord and His very presence found in the pillar of a cloud that had been leading their procession suddenly moved between them and the danger. Not only could they not see the imposing army, but now they were protected from them throughout the night.  

Just before sunrise, the Egyptians realized what had been going on behind that barrier.  The Lord had parted the waters of the Red Sea, providing an exit path for His people.  As they attempted to follow in the early-morning darkness, their wheels jammed and the usually well-ordered troops were thrown into confusion.  Fear pierced the hearts of the highly trained soldiers as they finally understood Who was on the side of the Israelites.  Unfortunately, their realization was too late as they soon met their watery demise.  (Exodus 14:19-28)

When God is for me, there is no enemy who can stand against me, foiling His plan for my life.  (Romans 8:31-33)  Instead of cowering in the face of their presumed power over me, I can trust God that He will frustrate the efforts of those who oppose Him.  Since I belong to the Lord, anyone who stands in the way of His plan for my life is in reality opposing Him, not me.  

In the same way that God shielded His people of old from their enemies, so God will protect me from contact with those who mean me harm. Not only will He place a barrier between me and those who want to hurt me, but He will throw a wrench into their plans, wreaking havoc as they attempt to move forward.  Finally, if need be, He will completely remove from my life those who have placed themselves in the position to oppose God.  All of these things will only happen according to God's will if I give Him authority over the problem.

When I trust the Lord with my seemingly hopeless situation, God will frustrate the efforts of those who oppose Him.

The Lord will Fight for Me

The young boy picked up the five smooth stones, placing them securely in his pouch.  Readying his sling, he stepped forward to face the giant-of-a-man.  Standing nine-feet tall, the well-muscled warrior sneered at this sorry excuse for an opponent.  "Why are you sending a boy to do a man's job?" Goliath scoffed at Saul's choice.

Undaunted, David proclaimed, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. . . for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give all of you into our hands."  (1 Samuel 17:45-46, 47)

David boldly proceeded forward and killed Goliath, just as he had predicted.  The only way this young shepherd boy would have the guts to carry out such a feat was if he knew from where his strength came.  David recognized that it was the Lord who would fight his battle for him.  As a result, he was able to move forward with confidence, not in his own abilities, but in the Lord's power.

I can be just as bold as David when I face imposing enemies.  When I am being opposed by the sovereignty of the federal government and it seems there is no way out, I can trust God to give me victory over the invincible foe.  When my own body seems to be my enemy, coming up against me and causing much turmoil, I can trust God to bring about the outcome He desires for me to experience.  When it seems I have no hope in finding a long lost loved one, I can trust God to put all the pieces in place in the time He desires.

When I trust God in the midst of the battle, God will fight as a mighty Warrior.

I Must Be Still

We watched the delicate butterfly struggle to break out of it's chrysalis.  The little neighbor boy cried out, "We have to help it."  My daughters, fresh from a homeschool lesson where they learned about the lifecycle of the colorful creatures, implored him not to touch it.  "No!  If you try to help it along, it will die!"

Still, the insistent lad reached out to pull the shell of the chysalis open, causing the newly emerging butterfly to fall to the ground dead.

It was nearly impossible for our little friend to resist helping the butterfly through the natural process of emerging from the pupa stage.  In the same way that his efforts marked the end of the insect's life, so my urge to help the Lord could be destructive to His plan.

While I may think I know what needs to be done to remove a threat from my life, only God sees the big picture and understands all the details of my situation.  Consequently, it is vital that I be still and let Him work out the situation to it's conclusion.  Any effort on my part to further my own agenda will only hamper His purposes.

When I'm tempted to make my own way when it looks like no improvement will ever come, I would be wise to resist the urge to get involved and instead wait on the Lord.  When I am filled with the desire to find an alternative solution because I don't see how God will make a way out for me, I must instead let God work out the unseen details.  When I can't wait to see the outcome and try to move things along a little faster, I will risk going in front of the Lord who is never too slow or too fast.  (2 Peter 3:8-9)

When I trust God by waiting on Him, He will honor my resistance to help and move forward with His plan.

I never like to feel like I'm up against a wall with no way out.  But often times, what seems like a crisis to me is simply an opportunity for God to show His power in my life.  Therefore, I can trust Him to shield me from my enemies, fight the battle for me, and give me the faith to be still in the face of His mighty plan.  In these ways, a hopeless situation may not be as impossible as I first thought!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God even when it seems He is doing nothing.

When do I forget the battle belongs to the Lord?

How am I tempted to help God along with His plan?